Rotary engine.



PATBNTED JAN; 6, 190s.

J. MOG. MOGULLOGH.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIUATION Hmm nin 15, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

UNITED STATns PATENT Fricn.

JAMES MCGOVVAN MCCULLOCH, OF GARSTON, ENGLAND.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,897, dated January 6, 1903.

Application filed July l5, 1902. Serial No. 115,689. (No model.)

.To a/Z/ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES MCGOWAN M c- CULLOCH, engineer', a subject ot' the King ot' Great Britain, residing at Garston, in the county of Lancaster, England, (whose full postal address is`.l0 Heald street, Garston, aforesaid,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Rotary Engines, (for which application has been made in Great Britain, under No.,13,654, dated June 16, 1902,) of which 'the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to rotary engines with revolving cylinders, and has for its object certain improvements, which will now be described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a sectional elevation of my rotary engine;

Fig. 2, a cross-section; Fig. 3, agdetail view of the double-armed lever; Fig. 4, a doublearmed lever tltted with links instead of sliding blocks; Fig. 5, a face view of the valve.

In carrying the invention into effect l provide a closed casing or box A, of suitable shape. Mounted in this casing is agroup or frame of radiating cylinders B, each of which has a piston therein. The cylinders may be arranged in a single plane, or, as shown in the drawings, they may be arranged alternatelyand in two planes. Said group or frame of cylinders revolve on acommon center consisting of a stationary gudgeon or shaft C, attached to the casing A. VWithin the box or casing a disk D is provided, working on a center E, eccentric to the center C ot' the group of cylinders B, and these cylinders as they revolve on their center drive the disk D Y on its center, and ,so convey the power to the driving-shaft E. The group of cylinders are connected to the disk by a double-armed lever F and connecting-links G, which cause the said cylinders and the disk to revolve at a uniform rate and maintain their proper relative positions, or a straight lever H may be employed, with slotted ends I, in each of which slots a sliding block `or bush J works, the pin K of one bush being connected to the disk D and the pin L of the other to the group or groups of cylinders. This doublearmed lever H or F is mounted on a hub m, located between the disk D and group of cylinders B, and is supported by and surrounds .out a spring.

`the ends of the two shafts or gudgeons Gand E, forming the centers of the cylinders and the disk. The center of the hub is half-way between the center E of disk and the center C of cylinders, and the stud K at one end of the lever H iscoupled to the disk, and the stud L atthe other end of lever coupled to the group of cylinders. These studs being at opposite sides diametrically and revolving with the respective parts convey the thrust from the group of cylinders to the disk. One face of the revolving group of cylinders is provided at or about their center with a boss, which forms a seat M for the valve N, and it is provided at a suit-` able distance from the center with short ports O, leading to the bottom of each cylinder. The valve N,which is con tained within a boxcasing, seats itselt` on this revolving ported 'boss M andis made of segmental annular or horseshoe shape on the fa'ce, as shown in Fig. 5,so as to embrace or surround the end ofthe center gudgeon C, the open portion of the face being for the exhaust. This valve is made with a hollow stem P, which projects through a stufIing-box R into a separate chamber S,

`which is in communication at T with the steam or other working-fluid supply. The

hollow passage P through the stem forms the only inlet through ports O to the cylinders B. The valve N is pressed against the ported face M by means of a spring U, which may be regulated to suit the steam-pressure, or it may be adjusted to Work by close fitting With- By adjusting the valve various degrees of expansion can be had, and by means of a handle V, placed on the stern W at the outside, the valve N may be moved in either direction, thereby reversing the direc tion of rotation of the engine. The motion of engine is in the direction in which the valve is setfrom its mid-position. The handle is secured in any desired position by means of a quadrant or other suitable device, so as to lock it and prevent it moving accidentally. The speed of the engine can be variedby moving the handle V, or the speedl'may be regulated by a governor coupled to the handle.` The piston-rodsX'of the group or groups of cylinders are coupled to a flange on the disk or to studs Y, placed at or near the periphery of the disk.

In action the group of cylinders B with its IOO 2 i unser pistons Z and the disk D revolve together; but as the group of cylinders B revolve about an axis C, eccentric to the axis of the disk D, said cylinders have a relative movement to the pistons Z during rotation. The steam therein therefore acting on the pistons impels the disk D to revolve and turn the drivingshaft E, to which the disk is attached. Through the medium of the double-armed lever H or F and links G (or blocks J) the cylinders B are impelled to revolve also, the pistons Z being of course carried around with the cylinders. The valve is of course so set that steam admission, cut-off, release, and compression take place at the proper moment. on the valve-port P, expansion takes place and is continued until the open portion 2 of the 'valve is reached, when it is free to exhaust. On closing at the other edge of the opening 2 cushioning takes place. The eX- haust which is discharged into the interiorA of the casing may be led to a second or lowpressure cylinder, to the condenser, or to the atmosphere direct from the casing through 3.

Three or any suitable number of cylinders may be employed, and the engine may be worked as a steam-engine, by compressed air, by hydraulic pressure, or used as a pump. The piston-rods X are freely coupled at each end to the pistons Z and disk-pins Y, respectively, so as to allow for the necessary freedom of movement.

I declare that what I claim is l. In a rotary engine, the combination of a driving-shaft, a rotary disk secured thereto, a group or frame of radiating cylinders revolving about an axis eccentric to the disk, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, pistonrods coupled at one end to the disk and atv the other to the pistons so that the cylinders during rotation will have a relative movement to the4 pistons, a rotatable two-armed slotted lever mounted between the disk and the cylinders, sliding blocks or bushes mounted in the slots, a pin attached to the group of cylinders which engages one of said sliding blocks and a pin attached to the disk engag- When a cylinder-port (say O) closes ing the other sliding block, whereby the disk and cylinders revolve together through the medium of the double-armed lever the driving power being applied, by the pistons acting on the disk as the cylinders revolve.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of a driving-shaft, a rotary disk secured thereto,

Va group or frame of radiating cylinders revolving on a shaft eccentric to the center of the disk, a rotatable two-armed lever for conveying the thrust from the group of cylinders to the disk, a hub or boss mounted on the ends of the respective shafts forming a fixed center for the said lever on which it revolves, the center of the hub being midway between the centers of the'two shafts, and in a straight line therewith.v

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of a revolving group of radiating cylinders having a central boss forming a valve-seat ported to communicate with the several cylinders; a ported pressure-admission valve seated on the revolving ported boss, partly surrounding the axis thereof and forming the only inlet for pressure fluid through the ports in the boss into the cylinders and an exhaust-chamberin communication with the cylinder-ports not covered by the valve, substantially as described.

4. In a rotary engine, a group or frame of radiating cylinders, a center pin or gudgeon on which said group is mounted and rotates, an outer casing to which said gudgeon is secured, a ported boss on the group of cylinders forming a valve-seat, a valve of segmental annular, or horseshoe shape, adapted to seat itself on the revolving ported boss and surrounding the end of the center gudgeon in combination with a double-armed lever so arranged to connect the group of cylinders and disk together.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 3d day of July, 1902, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES MCGOWAN MCCULLOCH.

Witnesses:

G. C. DYMOND, JOHN MCLAOHLAN. 

